LAKELAND, Fla. — Musical students and staff with Southeastern University Worship have been writing and recording music for several years.
- Southeastern University Worship has been recording music for year
- Group recently signed a record deal
- SEU Worship Facebook Page
During that time, the group, known as SEU Worship, has even released independent albums.
However, the group's hard work has recently paid off with SEU Worship signing a record deal with Provident Label Group, the Christian Division of Sony Music.
Worship Director Daniel Rivera, also one of the group's lead singers, said the deal is a landmark achievement for the group and university.
"We’re just a small student ministry that loves to worship, loves to write songs," Rivera said. "(We have) a very empowering and very just encouraging leadership team of the university that makes it possible for us to do that."
The EP, called Eden to Eternity, features six songs, written by students and staff.
"We like to use this term called prophetic pop to describe the sound," Rivera said. "Prophetic in the bible is something that describes the spirit of speaking into the future of what God wants or has in mind. Pop music speaks to the culture of young people."
Rivera, a 28-year-old Miami native, said he began singing songs he wrote in church as a teen and has now probably writen hundreds of songs.
"Thats not an exaggeration," he said, adding that most of those songs people will never hear.
He said the worship team has been writing specifically for this album during the past three years but it wasn't until last year that the group caught the attention of major record label executives.
Rivera said the group also is planning to release a Spanish-language album this summer.
SEU's music is now available on Spotify and Apple Music.